Now, they will get more. With star center and leading scorer Pavel Datsyuk sidelined four weeks because of a broken right hand, the Red Wings need other players to maximize their extra ice time.

”Those guys who have the ability to score, we need them to step up,’’ Babcock said before Thursday’s game in St. Louis. “Some of those guys haven’t been as good as they’re capable of being. Now there’s more ice time.

”Everyone thinks he’d be a better player with two more minutes. I’ve never been asked in all my years of coaching, ‘Coach, can you play me two less minutes?’ ”

Jiri Hudler and Valtteri Filppula have the biggest room for improvement.

Filppula played well in Wednesday’s 5-4 overtime victory against Vancouver, when he scored his first goal in 10 games after his ice time (21:48) nearly doubled from the previous game (11:19). He is back centering the second line, with Danny Cleary and Todd Bertuzzi.

”It (Filppula’s play) hasn’t been as good, but it was good (Wednesday), so he’ll be on his way back,’’ Babcock said.

Nobody is struggling more than Hudler, who had gone 11 games without a point and had just one goal and five assists in 28 games before Thursday.

”I think what happens is other guys get opportunities,’’ Babcock said. “You see it all the time. One guy doesn’t get to play, he goes to another franchise, suddenly he gets more of an opportunity, he relaxes and he’s a better player.’’

Henrik Zetterberg will replace Datsyuk on the line with Franzen and Holmstrom, at even strength and on the power play. Cleary, Bertuzzi and Filppula will see regular power-play duty, rather than be part of a rotation.

Justin Abdelkader will be back in the third-line center slot after playing a few games on the wing.

Kris Draper, who had been playing every other game since returning on Dec. 4 from hernia surgery, will play every game. With Mike Modano out until March following surgery to repair a severed tendon in his forearm, the Red Wings have no extra forwards. But they have enough players to compensate for Datsyuk’s loss, goaltender Chris Osgood said.

”If we want to be a top team in the league we can’t be relying on Pav and Hank every night,’’ Osgood said. “As bad as it is, it’s going to give guys a chance to step up and win some games for us.’’

A day after saying Datsyuk has a broken “hand or wrist,’’ Babcock narrowed it down by saying it’s just the hand.

”The bones he broke, evidently -- and this is (from) talking to the hand specialist last night -- are good healers,’’ Babcock said.

He spoke to Datsyuk on Thursday and said he’s in good spirits.

"He said, ‘Sorry, Coach.’ I said, ‘I don’t think you need to be sorry,’ ” Babcock said. “Obviously, he’s a huge part of our team. It gives (opponents) one less person to think about. But someone’s got to step up.’’

It’s also a blow defensively. Datsyuk, who has won the Selke Trophy as the NHL’s top defensive forward three consecutive seasons, was leading the league with 47 takeaways. He also was the club’s top faceoff man, winning 56.2 percent of his draws.

”You never want to see one of your best players get injured, but Pav’s going to get some rest that otherwise he wouldn’t get,’’ Draper said. “Obviously, you want him in the lineup every night. But we have to find ways to win hockey games. And when he gets back, it’s going to be a huge boost for our team.’’

Babcock looked at the bright side.

”Pav, I imagine will go to Florida for a week and then get back to training and get going and he’ll be more energized when he gets back,’’ Babcock said.﻿